


Have You Seen This?

by Cherry_B



Series: Cressi Week 2k18 [2]
Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, M/M, color commentators, cressiweek2k18, post retirement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-24 01:34:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16170902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherry_B/pseuds/Cherry_B
Summary: -So we're dating.The text message from an unknown number is three hours old by the time Leo gets a chance to check his phone. It's odd, not quite ominous but it definitely has fanatic vibes to it. He goes to erase it when the phone pings with a new message.-Here it is.Leo stares at the link with suspicion. He can't think of anyone he's recently exchanged numbers with and even if that were the case he always saves them immediately under a name, to avoid situations like these.-Not my best picture but not my worst. Don't bring up the denim shorts.





	Have You Seen This?

**Author's Note:**

> Texts from Cristiano begin with a -

- _So we're dating._

The text message from an unknown number is three hours old by the time Leo gets a chance to check his phone. It's odd, not quite ominous but it definitely has fanatic vibes to it. He goes to erase it when the phone pings with a new message.

- ** Here it is. **

Leo stares at the link with suspicion. He can't think of anyone he's recently exchanged numbers with and even if that were the case he always saves them immediately under a name, to avoid situations like these.

- _Not my best picture but not my worst. Don't bring up the denim shorts._

Leo bites his thumbnail and wavers, almost clicks on the link but decides against it last second. Instead he texts back and wonders if that will prove to be a mistake. 

_Wrong number._

Short but gets the point across. He gets an immediate response, doesn't even get a chance to put the phone down.

- _No, that's you. Says it right there, Lionel Messi and that's me. Even if they got my less flattering side._

- _Hard to believe I know but ye, there can be a bad angle for me._

- _*yes_

Leo startles. He scrolls back up and his finger once again hovers over the link but he can't quite make himself click it. He's curious though, he must know the other person.

_Sorry._

He texts back and waits for a response, hoping to get more clues without having to give away that he's texting blind. He could click on the link but he's still not convinced it's not a scam of some sort.

- _How do they get away with using your name? I noticed they didn't use your picture, I can only assume it's because of last time._

- _Meanwhile my legal team is sitting on it's ass bc here I am dating you. No word yet from either camp. Thought you'd have sent someone to debunk it by now. Should we post a selfie on Instagram? #powercouple_

Fuck it, Leo thinks and opens the link. 

It's Ronaldo. 

Leo squints at the picture underneath the giant title in bold: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi secret gay love affair?

He's right, it is a rather unflattering picture of Ronaldo, ripped jeans a couple years out of date, a large grey sweatshirt and a large murse. He tries not to laugh but man, it's a throw back to their young days, like really young days. 

He skims the article and finds it to be garbage about being reunited in the MLS, two "soccer" titans destined for eternal rivalry and a "suspicious" friendliness previously unseen. The same stuff from always and Leo can't fathom why Ronaldo even bothered to open such obvious click bait. 

_Thanks, I'll get right on it_

He sends back because why not. Ronaldo doesn't respond but Leo's only future plans are for a hot bath and sleep so he shoves his phone under his pillow and meanders into his bathroom.

*~*~*~*

- _We're married._

Leo pauses to read the text, he pauses his mixing of a drink to sip on his veranda and enjoy the summer sun. He deserves it, he reasons, he's bled, sweat and cried for crest and country. A nice summer drink won't hurt anyone. Now that he doesn't have to count calories the same way, why not.

His eyes flicker to the top of the message and the corner of his mouth quirks up. 

_When did that happen?_ He asks Ronaldo.

- **A year before we made the cross Atlantic move.** Guess who was my best man?

Leo briefly flickers through his mental catalog of Ronaldo friends from over the years, the ones from the games they played against one another throughout their careers and the ones from the award shows they've always attended at the same time if not together. For a split second he wonders which of them gave Ronaldo his number. Was it Pipita? Angel? Dybala?

- _Don't think too hard, pretty sure I see smoke from your home._

_Weird,_ Leo says, _hard to see smoke from the other side of the country._

- _Fabio._

Leo stares at the random name. It brings nothing to mind. 

_what?_

- _Fabio, he was my best man. Coincidentally he's also the one who sent me this. I'm not going to read it but if you need something to help you sleep, let me know how it goes. Hubby._

Leo stares, incredulous at the message, at the ridiculous heart tagged at the end of it. He is hit with the image of a slim build man with blond streaks through his hair. Coentrão. 

_What exactly is it?_ He asks, wary.

- _A fanfic._

_What's that?_

He receives no answer but he doesn't dare click on the link. Ronaldo, he knows, has a strange sense of humor. Better safe than sorry, he decides and takes his drink with him out to his veranda for a relaxing afternoon of lounging. 

*~*~*~*

- ** Twitter caught us! ** _I'm in town for a romantic night out and about._

Leo opens the link without hesitation this time and is rewarded with a fairly clear if obviously amateur picture. Though off centered, and in the distance, Ronaldo is easily distinguishable in the image. He's waiting for luggage at the airport and Leo is tickled by the gaudy hat he's wearing. 

Above the picture is an unintelligible gargle of letters followed by three pulsing heart emojis and a hashtag that makes little sense to him. #CressiIsReal and #OTP, some sort of code? 

_How unfortunate,_ he responds. _They're off as I am out of town_

Ronaldo sends back a broken heart and Leo let's out a bark of a laugh, unable to stifle the reaction and garnering himself an odd look from his family.

He flushes and apologizes, waving away their curious, amused glances. He continues to trowel through the comments and finds many fans theorizing that Cristiano is in town to visit Messi. The reactions range from disbelief to amusement and excitement to straight out delusions of secret marriages and possible returns to the pitch. 

Leo's hand prickles at that, feeling oddly staticky like it's fallen asleep. He curls his fingers and graces a cousin that's shooting him a concerned look with a wobbly smile before glancing back down to his screen. He screencaps the best comments to send back to Ronaldo and isn't surprised at all when he gets an email from his rep a few hours later about a "small issue" that he will extinguish. 

"I just think you should know," he tells Leo at the end of the message, assuring him that he'll take care of everything. 

As he sits down for dinner with his family he wonders which of the comments Cristiano, no doubt, liked with his account to cause an uproar. He doesn't bother to try and stop the smile from spreading across his face.

*~*~*~*

** Rumor has it we're vacationing together. **

Leo smiles to himself as the link is sent. His house is larger than it needs to be and lately the emptiness has started to get to him. Bored he had pulled up results from his previous teams, that had lead him to articles about their overall league results and that had lead to blogs on certain players. It was a rabbit hole that had lead him to a trashy gossip site.

He had noticed, quite amused, that he and Cristiano were still making news. It surprised him because they had never been photographed together outside of a game or an award ceremony. He knows that his decision to stay abroad after his official retirement had raised some eyebrows, his city of choice was incomprehensible to many including his friends and family but it was what he wanted. That Cristiano Ronaldo had chosen the same country for his retirement was a mere coincidence. One that had borne ridiculous fan theories and supplied the gossip mill years later. 

- _Oho! I like our choices. Considering that we work for the same company can we get time off together??_ Cristiano texts back. 

The fact that they both work as color commentators and opposite coast correspondents for the same company fueled the fire.

Leo texts back a _no problem_

He receives several emojis that remind him of a popular 2017 meme. Perhaps the isolation is getting to him, he pulls up a couple of weeks old threads and shoots off new texts to Cesc and Gerard, because if he's reaching out to Cristiano things must be getting kind of bleak.

*~*~*~*

"Hi," Leo sidles up to Christian at the bar. In his sleek suit, champagne flute in one hand, dark hair curled at his temples, all dimples for the press, he looks every bit the megastar hired by a large media conglomerate. It's enough to almost make Leo regret seeking him out, Cristiano's effortless pristine image makes him feel out of place more so than the gala event itself. 

Cristiano's eyes widen minutely at his greeting, the barest hint of surprise in the slackening of his mouth before it sharpens back into its usual plastic smile. "Hubby!"

Leo shakes his head. "Don't make me regret coming over to talk to you."

Cristiano continues smiling at him, teeth practically glistening in the low light of the room. He shrugs and his smile mellows into something more relaxed. "I'm surprised you came at all."

"Company event, couldn't get out of it," Leo mumbles. Cristiano laughs and shoulders him, like a friend might. 

"C'mon you're Leo Messi, if you didn't want to come you could have found a way."

Leo smiles, something soft, tinged slightly with something bitter.

"Guess so."

"Just means you're responsible."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you know me so well, all things considered," Leo says, vaguely waving get his hand around. Cristiano huffs out a laugh and takes a swig of his champagne. 

"I'm not surprised the rumors of my sexuality never died down, I'm just surprised you keep getting dragged into them."

Leo tilts his chin up, ever so slightly. "Neither of us ever married, even now we're both semi-famous bachelors. I'm not surprised."

Cristiano chokes on his champagne and Leo grins as he sips his own drink.

"That's not-" Cristiano cuts himself off and glares at him. "Don't be an asshole, I'm trying to be nice."

"Don't apologize, it's not something scandalous," Leo shrugs.

"I'm not ashamed," Cristiano frowns picking up on what Leo is trying to say, the wrinkle between his brows even more pronounced. "I just don't understand why it's always you. It's always been you."

Leo lifts a brow at him, "Really?"

Cristiano's face is hard to read, which Leo finds fascinating because Cristiano has been many things throughout their shared careers, reserved is not one of them. It's always been a thing Leo has envied, his ability to wear his frustrations and challenges, success and happiness on his sleeve. To see him hold back is...disappointing. 

"Are you...do you..." Cristiano licks his lips, "Want to take a picture? We can see who gets more likes." 

Leo searches his eyes for a hint of what he's thinking but they're guarded behind his false bravado. "Sure," he says after a minute.

They take a couple of pictures, Leo posts the one where Cristiano has his hand on his waist. Cristiano posts the selfie from above, Leo tucked at his side ever so slightly. They're both sure to cause problems. As they get to work adding tags and locations Leo wonders why he's doing this. Why they're both doing this. 

"Done," Cristiano says at his side. "I should warn my image team, the meltdowns have begun," he says with a low chuckle. His eyes are mischievous as his phone begins to ping with notifications, he shakes it side to side, flashing the screen at Leo. 

"This was fun," he says and pauses as he turns away. "See you around," he throws over his shoulder with a wave.

Leo watches him walk away. He looks around at all the strangers in form fitting, expensive clothing and he hunches his shoulders inwards. Though he felt awkward around Cristiano he also was the only one he actually felt like talking to, the only one with whom he felt some sort of connection. 

It's never been a mystery to him why the public has been set on the two of them. Despite their obvious differences their shared passions and standout traits shone just as bright. They captivated people the world over and, Leo at least will admit, each other. Isn't that why they always end up in the same space, the same arena?

Leo swirls his drink around, mind made up. He tilts his glass back and swallows the last dredges of his drink. He isn't one to back down from a challenge, and he knows this one is worth taking on. 

*~*~*~*

_I put in a PTO request. For a late summer date. We can catch the end of European leagues and Champions, cover the Gold Cup and the League of Nations. Be back before anything over seas restarts._

Leo twirls his phone on his kitchen counter, waiting on Cristiano to respond. He does, a good half an hour later.

- _???_

Leo grins.

** These dates work for you? ** _I figured, yacht. You probably want to work on your tan._

His phone stays silent for a few minutes and then it rings.

"He-"

" _What are you talking about?_ " Cristiano cuts him off.

"Do the dates clash with something?"

" _Lionel,_ " Cristiano growls.

"I was thinking," Leo says. "I haven't taken a vacation in a while and neither have you. Let's go for it."

He stares at his stove as the silence on the other end of the line stretches out.

" _I literally don't know what's going on,_ " Cristiano admits after a while.

"I think, you and I both know why those rumors never died down."

Leo swallows loudly and pushes forward, finally sure of something besides a ball at his feet. 

"I think, there's a chance we could go on this trip and have a good time. I just want you to think about it. No pressure," he says. 

Cristiano hangs up first. 

*~*~*~*

Leo spends the next few days hyper focused at work. He shows up early and stays late going over his notes. He works out when he wakes up and before bed. He cleans his house and walks the empty halls and rooms. 

He tries not to think about Cristiano's radio silence. He tells himself it will work out. Besides football, Cristiano has been the only other thing that's ever really made sense. 

The following Monday he receives approval from HR for his requested PTO. Cristiano is cc'd on the email. Immediately afterwards he gets a text message from Cristiano.

- _It better be a huge yacht._

Leo smirks, _Gonna make it worth your while_ , he texts back.

- _I bet,_ Cristiano says and Leo can't stop the smile on his face.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the Other Careers prompt, mixed with a little Opportunity. 
> 
> Written on mobile, please let me know if you spot anything funky.


End file.
